Jarrod Carter, a 29-year-old resident of New Orleans, has pled guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of firearms. The plea was entered on February 13, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. This announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

Court records indicate that officers from the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) received a complaint about several unidentified black males brandishing firearms and distributing narcotics on Mandeville Street in New Orleans. A Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force Officer (TFO) from NOPD observed Carter carrying a black AR-15 style rifle and a backpack on the sidewalk. Although the TFO attempted to contact marked units with the NOPD to detain him, no units were available at that time, allowing Carter to leave.

The following day, January 3, 2023, Carter was seen again in the same area with the same backpack. The TFO noted that the backpack had a shape resembling a rifle. Subsequently, NOPD officers stopped and searched Carter, finding a loaded Taurus .40 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number in his waistband. Upon searching his backpack, they discovered a loaded Springfield AR-15 style rifle. As a previously convicted felon, Carter was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Chief Judge Brown has scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2025. For each count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Carter faces up to 15 years imprisonment, fines up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Orleans Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.